Sonic The Hedgehog Musician Is Suing Sega

About a day left until release Sonic the Hedgehog 3we know the third film in the live-action series will be Includes the iconic song “Live & Learn” from Sonic Adventure 2. although Sonic Fans may feel a real sense of nostalgia when hearing the song from the movie, and the artist behind the song and several others from the series are now suing Sega for allegedly using it without the proper license. this song.

Polygon Johnny Gioeli, the lead singer of rock band Crush 40, has reportedly filed a lawsuit claiming that publisher Blue Blur breached its contract with the musician. This suit is Submitted December 5and claimed that Sega had been using the song without properly compensating him because Sega only owned the lyrics rights to songs such as “Live & Learn” but not the rights to the master recordings included in “Live & Learn.” Sonic Adventure 2 and the other games it appeared in over the next 23 years. “Live & Learn” has become a feature of the following games Sonic Generations and nonSonic games like Super Smash Bros. Special Edition. Gioli claims he was not properly compensated for these and other uses of the song.

Gioli said in the lawsuit that he personally “maintained and registered” the song with licensing agency BMI and own copyright The listing lists him as the author with rights and license to the composition and lyrics. According to the lawsuit, Gioeli said he was only aware that “Live & Learn” was used in the original release. Sonic Adventure 2all other times a fan used it were not learned until 2024.

Gioli is seeking clarification from the court about who owns the original master tapes of the song and compensation for any use of the song beyond its intended purpose. Sonic Adventure 2. Gioli confirmed earlier this year that he had signed a deal with Paramount to allow Sonic the Hedgehog 3. He contacted at least two lawyers about the dispute, including one from Sega who told him he didn’t have the rights to the song and another who allegedly called the song a “joint work,” making Gioli Entitlement to “50%”. The singer’s attorney said the damages include $500,000, plus at least $500,000 in unpaid royalties.

in a statement PolygonGioeli said he wanted to maintain his relationship with Sega and didn’t want it to tarnish fans’ memories of Crush 40’s music.

“I have no comment other than to have a long and good relationship with Sega,” Gioli said in a statement. Polygon. “I don’t want fans to draw conclusions, nor do I want the wonderful memories we created together with this music to be disrupted. I believe and hope that we can reach a fair and peaceful resolution.

Crush 40 has appeared in many works Sonic games since the original sonic adventurecontribute music to similar games Sonic Heroes, Hedgehog shadowand Sonic and the Black Knight. Although their contributions to the series have become increasingly sparse in recent years, their music has been reused in several games, including this year’s shadow generation.